Marco Rubio to fill in for Karoline Leavitt as White House Press Secretary

U.S. Secretary of State and acting National Security Advisor Marco Rubio is taking on one more job on Tuesday, when he will fill in for Karoline Leavitt as White House Press Secretary, according to officials.

Leavitt, who has served as White House spokeswoman since Trump was sworn into his second term, headed off on maternity leave last week to give birth to her second child with her husband, Nicholas Riccio.

On Monday night, the White House confirmed that Rubio would host the first press briefing in Leavitt’s absence at 3 p.m. ET. It will take place at the usual location, in the James S. Brady Press Briefing Room.

Other details were not immediately released. It’s unclear whether Rubio will be standing in for Leavitt on a regular basis during her absence.

Rubio, a former U.S. Senator from Florida who once ran against Trump in the 2016 Republican presidential primary, has served as Trump’s secretary of state since he was sworn in for his second term in January 2025. He is also the acting national security advisor since Mike Waltz was removed from the position on May 1, 2025. Additionally, he served as the acting archivist of the United States from February 2025 to February of this year.